KATHMANDU: A news item regarding a two-week-long shutdown to be clamped in the Kathmandu Valley has gone viral on social media, of late.

Many capital-based news portals on Friday published news stating that the Valley would remain shut for two weeks.

This news went viral on social media rendering the social media users confused at a time when the number of cases of coronavirus is increasing day by day in the Kathmandu Valley.

Ratopati on Friday published this news with the titled ‘Shutdown being clamped in Kathmandu Valley for 15 days’. This news was shared for 375 times as of Friday evening and has garnered 1,900 likes and 87 comments.

The shutdown will be imposed in the Kathmandu Valley effective for two weeks from Sunday, Ratopati quoted Bhaktapur’s Chief District Officer Humkala Pandey as saying.

According to the news, all the services will remain closed except for essential ones during the shutdown and in the case of other offices, the head of office will decide.

What is the truth? Khabarhub has carried out a fact-checking job on this news item.

Oxford Advanced Learners dictionary defines ‘shutdown’ as an ‘act of closing a factory or business or stopping a large machine from working, either temporarily or permanently’.

In a recent interview with Kantipur daily, Kathmandu’s Chief District Officer Janak Raj Dahal said an odd and even rule on vehicular movement in the Kathmandu Valley will be imposed during the period, responding to the news item.

He further said all the vehicular movement will remain banned from 9 pm until 5 am for two weeks starting Sunday since people’s movement increased during night which gave rise to the cases of coronavirus after the lockdown was lifted.

The use of term ‘shutdown’ created confusions among the people. It confused people whether the entire valley will be closed. As a matter of fact, only eight services to be provided by District Administration Office including the distribution of citizenship cards and passports will remain closed for 16 days (August 9 to August 24), according to a notice issued by DOA, Kathmandu.

Conclusion: The news on ‘two-week-long shutdown of the Kathmandu Valley’ is misleading. It has created confusions among many visitors and social media users. According to the notice issued by DAO, only eight services including distribution of new citizenship cards, registration of institutions and issuance of passports will be closed during the period. Odd-even rule will remain effective in day and vehicular movement will remain banned at night. The entire Valley, unlike the lockdown before, will not be shut down during the period.